I Want to See You

Lord, you opened the meaning of the scriptures to the disciples and set their hearts ablaze. By the power of your Spirit kindle our hearts as we hear your word proclaimed, that we may receive you with joy. Amen.

There is something special about the anxiety of little children when they really, really want to see something. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a person, a place, or a thing. When a toddler decides they want to see it, they need to see it! Right now! Not tomorrow, not next week, and certainly not whenever it’s convenient for the adults. They have a mission, they have a goal, and they have absolutely no interest in hearing about schedules, travel time, or other grown-up logistics. In their minds, if you want to see something, you should be able to go see it. And if you can’t go see it right now, well, somebody needs to explain why.

Let me tell you about two little people in my life, Josiah and Kamiya. Josiah is five, Kamiya is four, you may have seen them here a time or two and they have one very important mission: to get to New Jersey to see Lala and Uncle Franklin!

Every time we FaceTime, it doesn’t take long before the conversation turns into the same question: “Lala, can we come to your house? We want to see Uncle Franklin!”

Now, if you ask them, they are ready to pack their bags right then and there. They are already on the plane, and they will be at the house in 5 minutes. They are excited, they are eager, and they are absolutely convinced that the visit should happen immediately. The only problem is that Josiah and Kamiya are five and four years old, so their understanding of time is a little off and distance is not a real thing.

To them, tomorrow might as well mean next year, and next week might as well mean forever. They don’t understand why Lala can’t just say, “Come on over!” and have them arrive five minutes later. They know where they want to be, they know who they want to see, and they are ready to go!

And every time I see that excitement, I’m reminded of something: when you really want to be with someone, waiting can feel like the hardest thing in the world.

You don’t want to wait for the right time. You don’t want to wait for the details to work themselves out. You just want to be there, in the presence of the person you love.

And that brings me to our Scripture today, because as we turn to Exodus 33, we find Moses in a moment when the most important question isn’t how quickly the Israelites can get to their destination. It’s whether God will go with them.

After everything the Israelites have experienced, Moses knows that reaching the Promised Land means very little if God’s presence isn’t there with them.

Background

You know the stories. You’ve heard about Moses, the burning bush, the ten plagues, and the parting of the Red Sea. You probably remember the Ten Commandments and, of course, the infamous golden calf. But before we get to our text for today, let’s indulge ourselves in a little trip down memory lane and revisit a few things we may have conveniently forgotten. Because the Book of Exodus is full of drama, questionable decisions, and enough wrong turns to keep us entertained for quite some time!

The Book of Exodus begins with the Israelites stuck in Egypt, where Pharaoh has decided that free labor is great and human rights are optional. Enter Moses: a baby who escaped death, grew up in Pharaoh’s household, fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian, and eventually got recruited by God through a burning bush. Because apparently, God’s preferred method of recruitment is an unforgettable shrub.

God tells Moses to go back to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh let the Israelites go. Moses responds with every excuse imaginable: “Who am I? What if they don’t believe me? I’m not good at speaking!” God basically says, “I’ll be with you. Bring your brother Aaron.” And off they go!

Pharaoh, naturally, refuses. So, God sends ten plagues, including frogs, gnats, flies, boils, darkness, and the death of the firstborn. Pharaoh keeps changing his mind like someone who refuses to read the terms and conditions. Finally, he lets the Israelites leave.

But freedom doesn’t mean smooth sailing. Pharaoh changes his mind AGAIN and chases them to the Red Sea. God parts the waters, the Israelites cross safely, and the Egyptian army gets a very unexpected swimming lesson. You’d think the Israelites would spend the rest of their lives saying, “Wow, God really came through for us!”

You would be wrong.

Almost immediately, the Israelites start complaining. There’s no water. There’s no food. They miss Egypt. Apparently, slavery has become a nostalgic memory because at least they knew what was for dinner. God provides manna, quail, and water, while Moses spends his days managing a nation-sized group chat full of complaints.

Then they reach Mount Sinai, where God establishes a covenant with them, gives them the Ten Commandments, and provides a whole collection of laws about worship, community, and how to live together without completely losing their minds.

Moses goes up the mountain to meet with God. He’s gone for a while, forty days and forty nights, and the Israelites immediately panic.

Their solution? Ask Aaron to make them a golden calf.

Yes, the same people who just witnessed the plagues, walked through the Red Sea, and ate miraculous bread from heaven decide that what they really need is a shiny cow.

Aaron agrees, collects their gold jewelry, makes the calf, and then apparently tries to say he wasn’t involved. When Moses returns, he is understandably furious. He smashes the stone tablets, destroys the calf, and confronts the people. The covenant relationship has officially hit a rough patch.

Moses pleads with God on behalf of the Israelites, reminding God of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God remains committed to the people, even though they seem determined to test divine patience at every possible opportunity.

And that brings us to where we are this morning.

Moses is now negotiating with God about whether God will continue traveling with the Israelites. The people have been rescued from slavery, witnessed miracles, received the commandments, and then worshipped a farm animal. Now Moses has to make the case that they really, really need God’s presence to go with them. Because after everything that has happened, Moses deserves a vacation. Instead, he’s stuck leading the world’s most chaotic road trip.

Body

The first thing we should know is that Moses was a leader of the people, but he was also a mediator between the people and God. The majority of his leadership was interceding or being an intercessor for the people. In simple language, he was the go between when the people got into trouble. As an intercessor he would go to God on the people’s behalf, usually in prayer, to ask God for forgiveness, resolve conflicts or seek answers.

At first glance it is easy to see Moses and think he is just impatient. No one has ever asked God this question before, and Moses is adamant about seeing God’s face.  He says “Listen God, I have done everything you asked of me and now I want to see who I have been talking to.” This is not unreasonable, and really just shows his human curiosity. He’s saying this God has done all these things, I understand and know who God is, but why have I never seen him?

Moses’ most important request is in verse 18, Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

Human curiosity is something we all know well. That curiosity can be detrimental, or it can be what gets us to a better place. Moses is curious and for all the right reasons. The people he has led have struggled to understand why God would bring them so far and then abandon them. These are their words, not what is actually happening. And now Moses wants to be reassured that God is still present with them on this journey.  His human curiosity tells him that he cannot see God so obviously he is not here, he thinks this because he knows how much they have struggled and how often he intercedes for them.

This request from Moses is not simply to be the first to see the face of God or affirmation that he has been doing all the right things. This request is a genuine request to know God more profoundly. A chance to go deeper, to understand this being that has stood beside him and the people. Moses wants to see the parts of God that have yet to be revealed to him. So yes, he wants to see God.

And how does God respond?

We see this in the verses after his request: And [God] said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord,’ and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. ²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live.”

Seems like a riddle, right? But let me break his down for you. First, this goodness Gods referring to is offering Moses the best of who God is. This goodness, joy, blessings, beauty and more is offered to all of us who seek God earnestly. Second, grace and mercy are a reminder of God’s character, that the Lord’s love is infinite, while the Lord’s judgment is finite. There is balance in the relationship knowing that God is honest when we need to be corrected and also wraps us in love. Lastly, no one shall see me and live, points to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But the part that really got to me is when God tells Moses exactly what will happen. God says meet me here and I will tell you where you can see my glory. But I will determine how you will see and what you will see.  I will shield you from what will be too much and you will see my back as I leave. This is most revealing about God’s character and power because God wants to give Moses what he asks for within reason. And shows that although Moses thinks he should see God, he’s not ready for it.

Even after all that we still desire and long to see God face to face. Sometimes I just want to see God to give him a hug and say thank you.

Campaign Connection

As we embark on this capital campaign journey, there is so much we want to see and know before we ever get started. Because human curiosity tells us that we need to see everything and to know all the details before we can make any decisions. But faith tells us the opposite. Faith says that the presence of God is walking along side us as we get started. Faith tells us that God has always been gracious to us as a community and showers us with love. Faith tells us that we are capable of more that we can imagine because we trust God. God is our hope for years to come, and we will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.

Conclusion

Just like Moses I want to see God. I want to see God in ways that are yet to be revealed to us because I want to go deeper. To learn more about the One who continues to see me. But I also want to see you too. I want to see what God does though you and I know it’s going to be something amazing. Amen.